


Grounds for War

by suchastart



Category: Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer
Genre: F/M, Pillow Fights, Sharing a Bed, Third Wheel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2016-07-31
Packaged: 2018-07-28 08:19:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7632229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suchastart/pseuds/suchastart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“Can’t believe they lost my reservation,” Thorne says, dropping his duffel on the ground and looking around at the room, hands on his hips. “Wow. Look at this!”</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Cinder is looking. She is looking especially closely at the bed sitting in the middle of the room. The problem is not with the bed, but that there’s only one of them, and that it seems like Thorne will be sharing the room with her and Kai, too.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Grounds for War

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt for Cinder/Kai: "It’s only one night, we’ll just share the bed."

“Can’t believe they lost my reservation,” Thorne says, dropping his duffel on the ground and looking around at the room, hands on his hips. “Wow. Look at this!”

Cinder is looking. She is looking especially closely at the bed sitting in the middle of the room--a beautiful wrought-iron headboard, soft down-feather comforter, pristine white sheets. There’s a thick knit blanket folded at the foot of the bed for the cold night blowing in through the open window, and she had been looking forward to a few lazy, languorous hours spent in that bed before the world comes back at them tomorrow.

Kai, at her side, sighs.

She knows he’d been looking forward to that bed, too.

The problem is not with the bed, but that there’s only one of them, and that it seems like Thorne will be sharing the room with them, too. With so little space in the small town, and so many visiting dignitaries here for the summit, it seems the tiny inn has been overbooked. The woman at the front desk had been very apologetic, almost tripping over herself to make things right, but short of kicking somebody else out of their bed for the night or travelling to another district looking for an open room, there is little else they can do tonight. All of their space is taken, cots, couches, and all.

“I could sleep on the floor,” Kai suggests.

“Don’t be an idiot,” Thorne says. He kicks off his boots and shucks his shirt on his way to the bathroom. “Cress and Winter and Jacin will be back with the Rampion tomorrow. It’s only one night, guys. We’ll just share the bed.”

She glances at Kai, and Kai purses his lips, and Cinder reaches out to touch his arm. Only one night. They’ll just share the bed. It’ll be like a sleepover.

They all get ready for sleep--change into pajamas, brush their teeth, argue about the open window, argue about keeping the light on, argue about who will sleep where. Thorne offers to sleep in the middle, and Kai offers, again, to sleep on the floor. Tired, and frustrated, and more than a little disappointed that her rare night alone with Kai has been ruined, Cinder ignores them both. She gets into the bed and scoots over so there’s enough room on either side of her, fluffs her pillow, lies down, and closes her eyes.

“Well, then,” Kai says.

The boys make themselves comfortable beside her. One of them turns the light off. Wind whistles past the window, and at her left, Thorne brushes against her leg and shivers. “Stars, Cinder. You don’t freeze with that thing?”

“Thorne,” Kai warns.

“What? It’s cold.”

“Then scoot over,” Cinder says.

“Scoot over where?” Thorne grabs for her wrist and pulls it over his waist, smacks her hand against the edge of the bed. “I’m on right the edge over here. Maybe just.” He sits up and tugs at a bit of the covers, tucks it like a dam between himself and Cinder’s cyborg leg. “There.”

“You’re a blanket hog, aren’t you,” Kai says. Cinder takes her hand back and looks at Kai, who is looking up at the ceiling, resigned to his fate.

Thorne pulls at the blankets. “It’s been said.”

A laugh bubbles up Cinder’s throat, and soon she is giggling, covering her face to hold it in. Sharing a bed with Kai and Thorne. The both of them grumpy and warring for space and covers, and her in the middle. She rolls over and wraps an arm around Kai’s waist, tucks her knees behind his, curls around him enough to absorb some of his warmth. He flinches when she presses her metal leg against his, slips her hand up underneath his shirt, but eventually he relaxes, cups her hand with his.

Thorne shifts. “You guys aren’t being gross over there, are you?”

“Maybe,” Kai says.

Cinder makes loud, dramatic kissing sounds at the back of Kai’s neck. She feels his laughter against her hand on his stomach, against his back pressed to her chest, and she wishes-- _ stars _ does she wish for the night they’ve lost--

“Hey,” Thorne says.

Kai pulls her hand out from underneath his shirt, brings it up so that he can press a kiss to the knuckles of her cyborg hand. Heat tingles up her spine. She tucks her face into his neck, noses at his hair, closes her eyes. A few moments of quiet go by. A cricket sings outside of the window, and somebody on the other side of the wall coughs, shifts in their creaky bed. Kai’s heart beats against her chest, and Cinder tucks her leg between his, holds on.

“Hey,” Thorne says.

Maybe if she ignores him…?

“You guys think pigeons have feelings?” Thorne says.

Kai groans. Cinder breaches the blanket-dam and presses her cold foot against Thorne’s leg. He gasps, and as quickly, he sits up, grabs his pillow, and swings it down on her head. 

Which is grounds for war, Cinder thinks, as she and Kai move as one to take up their own pillows. A pillow fight may not be listed under appropriate means of wartime combat, but Cinder can pull up worldwide standards of sleepovers, and beating Thorne into submission with a feather pillow feels like an acceptable method. 

**Author's Note:**

> Had to add the late-night pigeon convo because it is disgustingly Thorne.
> 
> I am [suchastart](www.suchastart.tumblr.com) on tumblr if you need me! Come say hi!


End file.
